The Curse of Sundrop
by snowflower90
Summary: Who would have known moving to Sundrop would be such an adventure? Yukihana sure didn't. From new friends and festivals to an ancient curse and the mysterious pasts of the villagers, moving to Sundrop just became a bit more interesting.
1. Chapter 1: Move In Day!

A/N: It is Snowflower90 again. After not writing for the longest time due to my schooling and other busy adventures in my life, I AM BACK! I have been thinking up this idea for a few weeks now and finally got a chance to start writing. I am super excited about this story and I will be writing on it often. As for a couple of my past stories, I don't know if I will be finishing them or not. But whatever my decision is on those two stories, it WILL NOT effect this story and I WILL be writing on this one. Not sure how long this one will be yet but I do have a lot of ideas, so I will be writing a lot. The idea is mainly focused around AC: Wild World but I have some ideas from AC: City Folks and the AC Movie. I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to review. I will only keep writing depending on the reviews I get.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANIMAL CROSSING. I just enjoy writing stories about my characters that I have in my game.

Chapter One: Move In Day!

It just had to rain today. Of all the days it could have rained. It's not like I hate rain. I actually love it, the way it makes the earth smell, the pitter-patter on the ceiling and the cool air it brings during the heat of summer. But today, it brings a more gloomy feeling to the atmosphere around me. Not only was it pouring cats and dogs, I had just left my family to make a life of my own. The sadness gloomed over my heart, but the thoughts of mom telling me that I was grown up enough to live on my own and the thought of adventure made this move worth the slight heartache of leaving the life I have always known. It still would be a little better if it wasn't raining.

After a long day on a bus with people who had mysterious lives of their own, I now sat in the back of a cab with a two hour ride ahead of me. My taxi driver whistled some odd tunes to himself as we bounced and rattled down the long dirt road that led through the mountains to the small town of Sundrop. I had learned about this small town that was practically in the middle of nowhere from an advertisement in the local paper. When my mom saw it she claimed it was "destiny." She had me call the town hall and a sweet sounding clerk told me that there was a house soon to be available. This made my mom even more excited for me. It didn't take her long to convince me to move out on my own. My dad was very encouraging about the move. He said that it was about time that I gained some experience in the real world, instead of staying in the city that was my home. Plus, he figured I would be safer in a little town nobody really knew about. So, after lots of planning and some packing I set off on my life changing adventure.

"Yar," the turtle who happened to be my cab driver said. "Too bad it's rainin' so hard. An' ye with so far to go."

"Yeah," I said startled by the sudden interest the turtle had in me. "It's not that bad though. I like the rain on occasion. Just not when it pours like this."

"Well, 'tis still a shame that a young lass like you should have to travel in weather like this. It be good we ain't on the high seas though. 'Tis dreadful weather here, ye wee snappin' turtle. I never got yer name," the green reptile said.

"Oh, it's Yukihana. It's Japanese for snow flower. Umm… what's yours?" _Well, at least he is nice. Must have been a sailor from the way he talks._

"Kapp'n is me name. Ye fond of the name, Yukihana?"

"Yep. It is unique," I could now feel the pain of leaving home slowly drifting away. _Hopefully the people in Sundrop are this nice._

"Well, it be the perfect name fer ye young lass. So, what're ye plans in ol' Sundrop, Yukihana?"

"Well…. I'm moving."

"Ye got some spine on ye, Yukihana, headin' out on yer own. Not to be blunt, but do ye have enough cash to get started here?" Kapp'n asked. He glanced in the mirror to see the look that sweep over my face.

"Well… erm… I am not quite sure." A panic feeling struck me all of the sudden, before I remember Pelly, the clerk at Sundrop, telling me that there were plenty of jobs and ways to make Bells in Sundrop. "Pelly told me that it will be easy to make some Bells in town, but it is going to cost me a little debt at first."

"Yar, yar, a lil' debt ain't too horrible, young Miss Yukihana. Teach ye how to deal with yer Bells. An' if yer haven't the coin now, ye just owe me a romantic diner lat'r. YarHAR!" Kapp'n laughed with a smug grin. "Well, would ye look there! We're almost at Sundrop! An' at last the rain is lettin' up. Take a look."

Finally the sun was shining into the cab window. I rolled down the window and leaned out. The winding road led down the mountain side. At the very base of the mountain was Sundrop. A few buildings were scattered here and there. Beyond the trees, buildings, and trails there was the vast, wide ocean. It was better than I had imagined. A peaceful town waiting to be my new home.

"Well, me dear Yukihana. I know it's heartbreakin', but it be time to say our farewells. Nar, I won't say it. 'Tis too painful!"

"Then don't say it. Say 'see you later.' My mom always said never say good-bye, because you never know if you will see the person again," I poured out the wisdom that my mother always gave me when I was little. "Plus, you know what town I live in. On your days off you can always come and visit."

"Yar, me wee scallop. I will be in yer town when I can. Looks like this is ye stop," Kapp'n said. For just meeting this guy I already considered him a friend. "Would ye like some help with ye bag, Miss Yukihana?"

"I can get it. Thank you anyway," I huffed pulling my heavy suitcase out of the taxi. "See you later, Kapp'n."

"Yar. See ye later, me wee Yukihana." Before I knew it the little black taxi was out of my sight.

Turning around the massive Town Hall rose above me. Its clock hung above looking over the town, like a 24 hour watchman. I knew I could stand outside this building forever.

After pushing my suitcase into the building, I was greeted by a rather cheerful white pelican. "Hi. Welcome to Sundrop. May I help you?"

"Um, yes ma'am. I am moving in today and was told to stop here first." _Wow, she is really friendly. Guess she is supposed to be though. After all, she is the first person people talk to when you come to Sundrop._

"Oh, you must be Yukihana. We talked on the phone a few weeks ago. I'm Pelly. I work here during the day. This window is the Civic Center where anything dealing with the town takes place. There is also a little place nearby called Boondox. We take donations to help them get better living conditions. You can also check to see what improvements need to be made to the environment and even submit ideas for changing the town tune, which the chimes will play at the top of the hour. The window over there is for the post office. You can send letters to the villager and access your very own savings account. So, I guess it is kind of like a bank as well. Finally, there is a recycle bin over in the corner. Bring your trash and unwanted items here. I just need to have you sign a few papers here and we will move on to the next step of getting your house," Pelly finally ended her long speech about the Town Hall's significance.

After signing the necessary papers, Pelly gave me a map and explained that I needed to stop by Nookington and talk to the owner, Tom Nook. "He deals with all of the housing here in town. I am sure you will be getting the house previously owned by Lila."

"Lila?"

"Oh, yes. Lila was a former resident here in Sundrop. She lived here for about a year. Worked really well with Tom Nook. At least up until right before she moved. She was carried away by her prince charming," It seemed like Pelly was daydreaming about her own prince charming by the sparkle in her eye. "How romantic."

"Thank you for all the help," I bowed with respect.

"Excuse me, young miss," a crackling old voice came from behind me. "Are you our newest resident?"

"Ummm…yes sir," I said turning around. Before me stood an old tortoise with a white beard, glasses, a top hat, and a cane. "My name is Yukihana, and I am moving in today."

"Well, Yukihana," the tortoise said. "I am sorry to bother you so soon but would you answer a question for me?"

"Sure."

"Of the follow, which is more suitable to run a town? One: a gate keeper, two: a store owner, or three: a mayor."

"The mayor, of course," I said with a smile.

"You are a smart young one," said the tortoise. "I am Mayor Tortimer. Remember if you want a good timer, vote for Tortimer." With that little saying, the mayor went to his office.

"Elections are this winter and he is a little worried that he will lose his position as mayor of this town. He has been mayor here for a very long time," Pelly said. "He is very good to the people here."

After thanking Pelly again for all her help, I took my oversized suitcase and headed down the path to Nookington. Who knew what adventures awaited me in the town of Sundrop.

End Note: Don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2: A Shadowy Feeling

A/N: Hey everyone! The time has finally come. CHAPTER TWO!

Please review.

Chapter Two: A Shadowy Feeling

When I arrived in front of Nookington, I was stunned to see a department store in a small town like this. Normally you would only see one of those in the city. Inside the store was even more amazing. The cool air and the shelves full of stationary, flower seeds, tools, and food supplies. It was so unexpected for a small town to have a store like this. Looking around the giant store, I found the stairs to the furniture department and a little hair salon. Before I could even take one step up the stairs, I could hear footsteps behind me.

"Welcome to Nookington. Take a look around. Let me know if I can help you."

"Oh, ummm, I am looking for Tom Nook," I said turning around to find a raccoon staring at me with a look that said 'you better buy something.'

"That's me. How may I help you?"

"Well, Mr. Nook, Pelly sent me here to inquire about the housing in town. You see, I am moving here today and I am in need of a place to live and …"

"So, you're Yukihana. You should have mentioned that in the first place. Come with me to my office and we will discuss the terms of your housing." Tom Nook got a lazy look in his eyes and slowly walked to the door hidden behind the advertisement bulletin sign.

I followed him into what he said was his office. It looked more like a storage room with all of the boxes lying around and the dim light that didn't quite fill the room. It made me think of the mafia movies that my dad used to watch. Tom Nook started digging through some boxes looking for something.

"Well the house is ready for you to move in, but first we need to talk about price and how you are going to pay for the house."

"Okay."

"From what Pelly told me you don't seem to have the Bells for the house. Even if you did have some Bells, I highly doubt that you have enough to pay off the debt that Lila left behind."

"Umm, how much is that, Mr. Nook?" _Do I really want to hear this number?_

The raccoon took a break from searching through the boxes and looked me straight in the eye,

"The house is going to cost you 728,000 Bells. It is three floors, with the bedroom on the top floor. There are a few pieces of furniture that Lila left behind and it is located at the north edge of town. If you ask me, there is a nice sized yard and room for expansion if you wish to do so. The expansions will only be available once I can trust you to pay me for my housing services first."

"Yes, sir, I will work on paying you back for the expenses of the house." The large number rolled around in my head over and over again. _No, _I thought to myself, _I will not let this amount of Bells scare me away from the new life I am starting here. Mom would be disappointed to find out that I ran away from such a small issue._

"Aha," Tom Nook said grabbing something green from a box beside his desk. "Here you go. Put this on and come with me. You can leave your suitcase in here until you are done."

"Um, okay," I said. The raccoon gave me the green lump of cloth, which turned out to be an apron with the store logo on it.

"Now, you will be working for me for a little while until you get used to this town and make arrangements for working. If you work hard and show that you care about this job, I might make it a full-time position. For now though, you will be working part-time as the stores delivery girl. I already have today's load waiting for you outside. Here are the addresses and I am sure the map that Pelly gave you will help find them."

"But don't you think I should get settled in first before I even think about wor…" I could feel my eyes grow wide listening to all the plans he had for me all ready.

"Nonsense! Working will help you get use to the town and its layout much faster and you will meet new people just as quick. Plus, if I were you, I would start working on paying on that large amount of debt that you owe me now."

"Well, alright."_ I couldn't believe I was doing this, but the old raccoon has a point._ So, I slipped the apron on and headed outside. Waiting beside the store was a bicycle looking thing that had an attached wood trailer full of boxes. "Better get to work." I sighed as I got on the bicycle and started peddling.

The first stop on the list was down near the beach. A smooth ride with little peddling effort since most of the path was down hill. The trees in this town were beautiful. All the different pear trees made me a little hungry. The sparkling water of the river looked so inviting, even though I knew I couldn't go for a swim. The air was just so clear and fresh. I couldn't believe that places like this still existed, nature that had been untouched by human destruction.

Before I knew it, I found the little cottage where I was supposed to make my first delivery. There was a happy glow to the area due to the colorful flowers in the garden that seemed to wrap around her house. Well the box wasn't going to deliver itself, so I grabbed the small package and walked up the path to the house.

"Delivery for Deena," I said knocking on the door. After a minute of waiting, the door cracked open and an eye peeked out. "I have a delivery for Deena from Nookington."

"Oh," a small voice came through the crack. "I thought you were someone else." The door opened to reveal a green and white duck with pink cheeks. "Finally, my order has arrived. So, are you a new worker for Nook?"

"Yes. I am Yukihana. I just moved here today. I am going to be living in the house that used to belong to Lila." At the mention of Lila's name I could feel a heavy tension spread across the air between us.

"Well, I hope you settle in nicely. If you need anything let me know. Are you a friend of Lila?" asked the duck with a strange look in her eyes.

"Well, no, I never even met her. Pelly just said that the house was available and ready for me to move in." _What is up with this strange feeling? Were Deena and Lila enemies?_

"Oh, okay. You know I have a feeling we are going to be great friends. Let me know when you get settled in and we can hang out." The tension in the air disappeared.

After waving good bye and heading off to the next destination, I couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. Trying to shake the feeling that had crept over me I pulled up to my next stop. Out in the yard in front of the house there were two semi-buff looking guys. The rhino seemed to be doing some kind of sit-up work out, while the bird was doing jumping jacks.

"Umm, I have a delivery for Tank." The box in my hand felt so heavy.

The pale blue rhino looked up. "That's me. Jay look my weights have finally arrived. Now we can up our training to the next level. Bug hunt here we come. We will show no mercy." Tank looked up from the box. "Are you new around here? Cause you don't look familiar."

"I just moved here today. My name is Yukihana. It is very nice to meet you."

"Just moved here, hmm? Where are you living?"

"The house where Lila used to live." The same dark tense feeling fell over the air again. I could tell that the boys became uneasy by just the sound of her name.

"Were you two friends?" Tank glared.

"No, not at all. I have never met her. Pelly just mentioned that she was the last one to live in the house. That is the only reason I know the name, but I don't know her at all." The tension left quickly after I explained that I didn't personally know Lila, just like when I was talking to Deena.

"Well, as you already know I am Tank. That guy over there," he points in the direction to the dark blue bird, "is Jay. He lives just north of Nookington. As you just heard we are training hard for the Bug hunt that our town holds in a few weeks and the beach competition that is coming up next month. You should join in too."

"Oh, well, I am not into sports much, but I will give it a try," I said smiling.

"That sounds great. Once you get settled in you should come train with us, or at least hang out," Jay said.

After saying good-bye, I pulled the bike over at the bottom of the hill. _Next stop, Bob's house._ Bob's house wasn't too far fromTank's house. A little house with a green roof and a nice sized yard by the beach was at the end of the path that led to Bob's house.

Working in the yard's small flower garden was a purple cat. He was mostly light purple but had dark purple spots here and there. A large dark purple spot covered most of the left side of his face. His eyes were very lazy looking, which gave a hint to his personality.

"Are you Bob?" I asked.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" the purple cat asked.

"I'm here to deliver the lamp you ordered from Nookington. My name is Yukihana. I'm new in town. In fact I just moved here today." _Haven't even got my house key yet, _I thought. "Mr. Nook is having me work for him, so I can pay off my debt to him."

"So, old Nook has him another little worker bee," Bob said, "Hope you work out better than the last one. There's going to be a lot for you to do."

"Yes there is." I remembered seeing a list of deliveries that I was going to be making in the next few weeks. "Mr. Nook said that he will allow me to work part time for a few weeks 'til I get settled into my new house."

"That sounds like a good idea. Working only part time will be nice. Some free time to get to know the folks around town, fix up your home, and time to do whatever you heart desires. It's gonna stink when you have to work full time."

"Yeah, but I will only have to work full time for him until my debt is paid off. After that, I can work part time or do whatever I want to make bells to live." The thought of living on my own and supporting myself was becoming more and more exciting.

_Oh great here comes that feeling again. _"It's the house where Lila used to live."

"Oh, so the one up the hill from Town Hall. It is sure to have a beautiful view! Nook has put a lot of Bells in building that place. I might have to stop by so I can see it myself," Bob smiled.

Surprisingly there was no shadow feeling come from this guy at the mention of Lila's name. "Did you know Lila?"

"Not really." Bob shrugged. "She moved out two days after I moved to town. All I heard from Nook was that she was quite the slacker. You seem like a good worker, so that is a good replacement."

It was a relief to find someone who didn't give of a dark aura at the mention of Lila's name. There was something wrong about that girl's past with the villagers here and I didn't know what.

"Well, Bob, I must be going. Mr. Nook is probably wondering why I haven't returned yet. So, I will see you around," I said mounting the bicycle.

"Yes, see you around, Yukihana."

It was already five o'clock as the Town Hall's chimes rang loud and clear. Mr. Nook was waiting at the door of Nookington.

"How did your first day go? Did you meet some of the villagers?" Mr. Nook awaited my answers.

"I met Jay, Tank, Deena, and Bob. I also got lost a couple times. Everyone seems pretty nice here. I think I am going to enjoy living in Sundrop."

"That is great. Well, here is your house key. You can use the delivery cart until you get all moved in. It will make moving furniture a lot easier later," Tom Nook said handing over my key. "Before you go home, I would like you to deliver these catalogs to Pate, Nan, Peewee, and Tiffany. It will be just a few short stops and it will allow you to meet the rest of the residents."

"Thank you." I said bowing respectfully.

I put my oversized suitcase in the package bin and road down the house to Tiffany's house. Her house was the farthest away from mine. It took about 20 minutes to ride down there since it was by the beach. She was Deena's neighbor. It was a very short introduction though. The white bunny with brown tipped ears was on her way to visit her boyfriend and needed to hurry since he was waiting at the town gate.

My next stop was at Pate's house. This blue-grey duck with very pink cheeks, due to her blush, was happy to see her catalog and told me she would love to hang out sometime. From the way Pate spoke so fondly of Deena, it gave me the impression that they were, and still are, very close friends. Pate said the she would love if I joined their close nit group of girls and I had no problem with that.

Peewee was in his back yard inspecting a tree for any rare bugs. The black and grey gorilla with oversized nostrils wasn't all that friendly and didn't seem happy to be bothered by such a small delivery. I did get another chilled shadowy feeling at the mention of Lila from not only him, but the previous two villagers, as well.

Finally, I pulled up to my last stop. A medium grey goat with yellow horns was sitting on the front porch, staring towards the now setting sun.

"Are you Nan?" I asked while standing at her gate.

"Yes," She said. "Are you my new neighbor? Everyone is talking about the new girl in town."

"Yes, I am. My name is Yukihana and I just moved her this morning. Mr. Nook has been having me deliver packages all day. Here is your catalog." I pointed at the book in my hand.

"Yay! Finally! I thought Nook had forgot. So, you are working for him to pay off your debt?" I nodded. "That's nice. You should come over sometime, or a lot. We are practically neighbors. You see that roof on the hill." She pointed toward the trees. There was an aqua green spot and chimney. "That is your house. Lila moved out about a month ago, so I can imagine things are dusty and all. Wait right here."

Nan took the catalog and ran inside. A few minutes later she came back with a broom, mop, bucket, and sponges.

I thanked her for all the help and promised I would stop by after work the next day.

The hill to my house seemed steep. I was ready to go inside, make my bed and have a good night's rest. When my key unlocked the door to my new house, I realized that the air around this house was slightly off. As if somewhere within it there was a dark secret hiding.

When I opened the door I could tell it had been a while since anyone cleaned this house. The cobwebs were unbelievable and the dust bunnies were everywhere. I decided that the best thing to do was sweep up my bedroom tonight and make my bed and then spend tomorrow afternoon after work cleaning the house.

Who knows what I will find in the dark shadows of this house.


	3. Chapter 3: Cooro and the Book of Curses

**Author's Note:**

Yukihana: As you all may know, I am the main character of the story. And that *points at snowflower90* is the lousy author of said story.

Me: What do you mean lousy?!

Yukihana: How long has it been since you last updated this story? Huh? That is what I thought.

Chapter 3: Cooro & the Book of Curses

The morning sun lit up the bedroom of my new house. It was a very good thing my room was on the third story, because last night I was so exhausted from all the excitement that I had not put up any shades or curtains yet.

The beams of summer sun light warmed my face and made me want to sleep even longer. Rolling onto my side, I peeked at the little clock that sat on top of my still packed suitcase. My eyes took a little while to focus on the numbers. When they finally became clear I panicked.

"OH NO!" I yelled jumping out of bed. "I'm going to be late!" The time read 7:10 a.m. and I had to be to work at 7:45. I raced down the stairs with my tooth brush, hair brush and a change of clothes. The bathroom, like all the other rooms in the house, was covered in a layer of dust. I wiped off the counter the best I could and brushed my teeth and pulled my messy brown hair into a pony tail. I slipped off my pajama shorts and shirt and put on my favorite mint colored dress.

After storing my belongings back in my suitcase, I ran downstairs, grabbed my work apron and locked my door. I Jumped onto the delivery bike and nearly feel off the other side. Thank goodness the trip was down hill. The wind felt nice against my face and arms in the heat of the summer morning. I couldn't believe it was already this hot this early in the morning. That could only mean one thing; this afternoon was going to be a hot one. I mean, the day only gets hotter as the sun rises in the sky, right?

As I zoomed past Nan's house I heard a door slam. I applied my brakes and nearly flew over the handle bars from the force of the stop.

"Hey, Yukihana!" My new goat friend said as she ran to her fence. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"

"Work. I am running late and have to be there in 10 minutes. How about you?"

"Deena, Pate, and I are spending the day at the beach since the weather is going to be hot. You can tell we are finally into our summer days. Next time you get a day off you should come to the beach with us."

"Will do." I nodded. "I better get going before Mr. Nook yells at me."

"See you later." Nan took the walking path that led straight down the hill.

_Too bad that is too narrow for the delivery bike to fit down,_ I thought heading down the longer path.

Riding through town there was a peaceful quiet unlike any other I have heard before. In the city there was always the hustle bustle sound no matter what time of day or night. It made me feel like I was one with nature.

When I finally arrived at Nookington there was only a few seconds to spare. The store lights were on at full strength. It amazed me that Mr. Nook was up and working already. When I walked into the storage room Mr. Nook was waiting for me.

"Good morning. How was your first night at your new house?" He grabbed one square box and three long round tubes.

"It was okay. Kind of dusty. Since I only have to work this morning, I am going to be cleaning and unpacking this afternoon. Nan was nice enough to let me barrow her cleaning supplies."

"That was kind of her. Well, you have an easy route today. Just two stops. These," he pointed at the three long packages, "will be going to the Able Sisters. They are the town's clothing and fashion specialists. There shop is just down the path from here. The last shop will be Jay's house, which is north of here. You can just go home from there. Since I have nothing else for you today, there is no use in you coming back here. So you can straight home and finish any chores that you have. I know you want to make that house feel more like home quickly."

"Thank you, Mr. Nook," I said helping him carry the packages to the delivery cart. "What time do you want me to come in tomorrow?"

"How about the same time as today? It will be cooler for you that way and you will have the afternoons off."

"Sounds good. And that will give me a chance to do everything I want to do with the house." I smiled sitting down on the bicycle seat. "That is for the next two weeks, right?"

"Yes." Mr. Nook said. "Now you better head out or you won't have time after you get done with work to clean."

"Yes, sir," I said pushing the peddles on the bike and slowly rolling down the stone path to the Able Sisters. About a quarter of mile or so down the surprise smooth path there was a small shop built out of red wood. The low roof on the shop and the cloth awning was a dark green, which made me think of Christmas. Above the door was a blue sign with white letters that read "Able Sisters."

Inside the store was nice and cool. The clothes and fashionable items were neatly placed on shelves and mannequins around the store. It was so Quiet and peaceful.

Sitting at the sewing machine was a brown hedgehog. _TAP, TAP, TAP. _She seemed to be working very hard. _TAP, TAP, TAP._ Her swift movements lead the beautiful blue fabric through the machine. _TAP, TAP, TAP. _She was very skilled. Must have taken years of practice._ TAP._ The hedgehog looked up and from her sewing project and looked at me with questioning eyes.

"May I help you?" A soft, almost sad voice came from the creature.

"Uh… My name is Yukihana. I am working for Mr. Nook right now to pay off my debt. I have a delivery," my voice felt like it was going to break. I never did like being put on the spot.

"Very well. You can sit them in that corner over there. I am rather busy and I have a dead line to meet. Mable will move them to storage when she is back," said the brown hedgehog. "My name is Sable, by the way. Now I really must get back to work." 

I place the packages where she had told me to and started to leave the little shop. As I was leaving, a dark blue hedgehog with bright pink cheeks came rushing into the store.

"ACK! I am sorry. Please don't leave. My sister is very busy with the next designs. I am actually the one who sells things. Please don't let my sister scare you off."

"Oh, she didn't, honestly. I was just delivering a few packages from Nookington's. I am on my way to making my nest delivery," I smiled warmly, hoping she wouldn't freak out anymore.

"You must be Yukihana. Pelly told me that we had a new resident in town. My name is Mable. Come by if you need anything," the dark blue hedgehog said with a heartwarming smile.

"Alright. I saw a couple dresses in here that I love and a couple of hair pins." I waved my good-bye and jumped on the delivery bike. The road to Jay's was half way between the Able Sisters and Nookington's. It was about another ten minute ride. The dirt path was rather nice. The lovely aroma of nature was all around. The pine trees in their summer glory and the fruit trees spread along the path. Light shined through the leaves and branches giving everything below a warm earthy look.

The cicadas buzzed to one another from tree to tree. I, personally, like the evening cicadas the most. Their almost haunting buzz sounds so peaceful on warm summer nights. The cicadas that are out during the day are quite annoying. The hotter it gets the louder they are.

The sound of the dirt popping underneath the bike tires came to a stop. Jay's house was rather plain. From the way the places looked, Jay didn't spend much time at home. Nan and Deena had beautiful flowers planted everywhere. Even Bob had done something to his house that at least made it look like someone lived there.

Just as I lifted my fist to knock on Jay's front door, I heard yelling coming from the back yard.

"You can't do that," an unfamiliar voice said. "That's cheating."

"Not if we never made a rule against it," a more melodic-chirpy voice rang. "Besides, that just makes us tied now and there is still two hours before lunch."

I could tell the second voice was Jay's, but what about the first? I knew it wasn't Tank's. His was slightly lower.

"Fine," said the first voice in an almost childish tone. Then he added with a bit more mischief, "but you owe me some orange soda at the least."

As I rounded the corner, a bug net nearly hit me in the face. I screamed and fell to the ground When I looked up two sets of eyes were on me. One belonged to the fine feathered customer and the other belonged to a boy about my age. Not just any boy though. A human boy. It shouldn't have been as shocking as it was, but in a town full of animals, you never know what to expect.

"Yukihana? What are you doing here?" Jay took a step closer.

It took a couple seconds for me to realize I was still sitting on the ground. When I finally got up and brushed myself off, I smiled and said, "I have delivery for you from Nookington's. I heard some yelling from back here and thought I would check to see if it was you."

"Well, it is. Thanks. I have been waiting forever for this book. Look," he turned to the boy next to him, it's the insect and fishing guide."

"Awesome," cheered the boy. Then his purple eyes focused on back on me. "Who's your friend, Jay?"

"Oh! This is Yukihana. She moved to our village yesterday. She lives just north of Town Hall. Nook has forced her into working for him." Jay laughed softly. "Yukihana, this is Cooro."

"Nice ta meet ya," Cooro said " I'm from Stardrop. It is the next town over. Not too far. I spend a lot of my time over there though."

Jay laughs. "He practically lives here."

"It's nice to meet you, too." I bowed politely.

"We should hang out sometime." Cooro flashed a smile.

"Sounds great. I can't today though. I've got a ton of unpacking and house cleaning to do."

"No problem. I f you need anything let me know. I am an expert lifter. Jay, Tank, and I are champion furniture lifters."

"Thanks. Well, I better go start cleaning and get everything unpacked. I want to at least return Nan's cleaning supplies."

"See you tomorrow?" Cooro smiled.

"Yeah," Jay said, "We are supposed to hang out with Deena and Nan. Tank and Pate might come, too. We are going to hang out by the waterfall."

"I have to work in the morning. If you are still there in the afternoon, I'll join." The idea of sitting by the waterfall in my swimming suit to bet the heat sounded great.

"We'll be there _all_ day," Jay clapped his wings.

"Alright. See you later." The boys waved good-bye as I headed up the trail that leads to my house.

Not too far from Jay's house is one of two stone bridges that cross the Kame River that winds through Sundrop. The river is a beautiful dark blue. The Kame River flows from Rainbow Waterfall at the northeastern part of town to the Southern Sea directly south.

After crossing the bridge, there is a heavily wooded area that has a large variety of fruits. The dirt Path ran right by the fruit trees. Directly to the east of is the path that leads to the town gate. The whole time I was traveling to my house all I heard was the crunching of the dirt under the tires of the delivery bike.

By the time I arrived at my house, the uphill peddling had wore me out. After a couple rice balls for lunch I was ready to get started on my house cleaning. I took the bucket that Nan let me borrow and filled it in the Kame River. It amazes me how much heavier a water filled bucket is compared to an empty one.

On my way back up to my house I caught a glimpse of two villagers walking up the path from the beach.

"Yukihana!" A familiar voice rang through the trees. Nan and Deena met me in front of Nan's house.

"How was the beach?" I sat the bucket of water on the ground.

"Awesome," Deena squealed. "So, cool and refreshing!"

"You should join us, Yukihana," the goat glowed. "We just came to get something to eat and my beach umbrella."

"I wish I could. I have to clean my house though. You wouldn't believe the dust in that house."

"Oh, trust me," Deena said, "I think we could. Lila was never home. Always sticking her nose into everyone else's business, I bet that girl _never _cleaned." Deena had this awful look on her face as if she were remembering something horrible. Seconds later she was back to her cheerful self. "That is too bad though. The beach is soooooooo much fun."

"Maybe this weekend. Cooro and Jay want me to hang out with you guys at the water fall tomorrow but I have to work in the morning. I will try to make it depending on how much I get done today." My Head started spinning at the thought of everything that needed to need to be done.

"You better go work hard then," Nan said excitedly. "We want you to be there. Jay is cooking lunch. Plus, It will be nice and cool by the waterfall." 

"Then I better get to work! See you tomorrow, Deena. I'll drop off the cleaning supplies later, Nan. Bye!" I grabbed the bucket of water and ran up the hill to my house.

When I was home I quickly got into cleaning mode and by the time I was done with the first two floors the place looked brand new. I decided that a lot of the furniture need replaced because it was not my taste. Regal was sooooo not my style. I preferred the ranch or cabin look.

The last place I needed to do a deep clean was my bedroom on the 3rd floor. I scrubbed the windows clean and hung some plain white curtains up. I swatted the cobwebs from the ceiling. Then, I scrubbed the floor sparkly clean with the mop. I was about done when the mop slipped out of my hand.

A hallow thud was the sound that echoed through the room. It struck me as unusual because I thought the floors were solid or at least had insulation in them. I picked up the mop and tapped on the wood 3 boards over. A solid thud and no echo. I hit the initial board and it resounded again.

"Wha?!" I couldn't believe my ears.

I carefully tiptoed over to the board. Poking it with my socked toes it made a horrible squeak. I managed to pry the loose board up and uncovered a spot where all the insulation had been pushed back. In the space I found two leather backed books.

One was a rich royal purple with gold lettering across the front and the side. _'Cursed from the Past'_ was the title. The other was a pink diary. There was a page marked in the curse book. I flipped to it not knowing was to expect.

_Animal Crossia_

_This country of Animal Crossia has been cursed by the fortune-telling sorceress Katrina. She grew tired of the shadowy lives and secrets of the people. She turning them into animals, trapping them in that state until someone who was not affected by the curse would come along and free them. The curse also restrains the cursed people from moving anywhere outside the country of Animal Crossia. The curse, however, back fired and turned her into animal as well. Now she too shares the fate of Animal Crossia._

_Breaking the Curse_

_The curse may only be broken by a human not affected by the curse. The human must befriend all the villagers in the town. They must become such close friends that the cursed ones will tell them a secret that no one else knows. Then during the Bright Nights Festival, the human must stand above the town hall clock tower and shout out their own darkest secret. After that they must release a balloon with papers telling the deepest secrets of all the villagers while reciting, "On this cold winter night let all the darkness and curses be lifted and take flight."_

"So, that's why everyone is an animal!" I knew I needed to do something to help my friends. I opened the Pink book and on the first page it said 'Lila's Curse Progress Diary' Before I even began reading that I looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:30 p.m. I needed to hurry and return Nan's stuff before it got too late. Lila's diary had to wait until later.

One thing I knew for sure, I discovered an enormous secrets and it was going to lead to some tough work if I was going to attempt to help out the citizens of Sundrop.

Finally, the shadowy feeling lifted from my house, but a whole new mystery has been unlocked.

A/N: I am posting two chapters today. PLEASE make sure you read the author's note at the end of the next chapter. The fate of this story depends on what you think of it. Should I continue? Should I just scrap it? Should I just quit writing?

Let me know what you think. Bye!


	4. Chapter 4: Can I Trust You with a Secret

Chapter 4: Can I trust you with a secret?

It had been three weeks since I found the book that revealed the dark secret of Sundrop. I hadn't made any progress on breaking the curse though. Better yet, it's amazing that I have made any progress on making my house a home. My mom had sent me 10,000 Bells as a housewarming gift to by new furniture. Mr. Nook let me look through the store catalog after work one day and I ordered some nice style chairs and couch. I also ordered a ranch style bed, complete with sheets and blanket, but that was about all. My wallpaper and carpet were still mismatch and I had a lot of furniture that looked out of place.

I was going to paint the outside of my house and roof, but on account of the rain that we got the day before and the hot temperatures we were getting, it was too humid to paint anything. So, I found myself stuck inside reading yet another page of Lila's diary and still not any closer to achieving any of my goals.

I was spread out across my couch when a loud bang came at my door. Closing the diary and plopping it on my non-matching cabana coffee table, I ran to the door. My good friends Deena, Nan, and pate were standing on the porch.

"Since you have the day off...," Nan began.

"We wanted to know if you would like to go to The Roost with us for some girl time," Deena finished as happy as ever.

"The place has air conditioning," Pate said in a you-know-you-want-to tone.

I turned and looked at my poor fan that had been running non-stop lately. "Sure! I'll go with you. Just let me grab my shoes and Bells." I ran with great speed to get a pair of socks and my wallet of Bells. My shoes always sat by my door so they weren't hard to find. I was done and walking with my friends in less than five minutes. To get to The Roost, which was located in the basement of the Museum, we had to take the footpath all the way down passed Sundrop Town Hall and just before hitting the sea side orchard. The fruit trees were the only thing that separated the Museum from the beach.

Luckily, being able to use the footpath cut our time in the smothering, humid air in half. Upon arriving my girlfriends and I were greeted by a green pigeon with glasses and partial handle-bar mustache. He was wearing a dressy black shirt with a white undershirt and black bow.

"Good morning," he said with a deep voice. "How can I help you?"

"Four cups of the house blend, please," Deena said.

"Coming right up," the pigeon said. He looked at me and turned to his shelf of coffee mugs.

"We took a seat at a table by the wall which luckily had four chairs.

"What's his name?" I gestured toward the counter.

"Oh, that's Brewster. He's shy," Pate said.

After a while, Brewster brought over the coffee. I expected it to be bitter like my father's black coffee, but it wasn't. It was warm and smooth. The beans he used had a yummy sweet, but slightly bitter taste. My taste buds jumped for joy at the new treat.

"So, have you heard about Tiffany's new boyfriend?" Pate sat her cup down.

"She told me he was from out of town," I said remembering the first time we met.

"Yeah. Apparently, he is some rich guy. He has like four vacation hoses all across Animal Crossia," Nan said.

"I heard," Pate began, "that he even has servants who do whatever he asks whenever he asks."

"Well , you know," Deena said taking a sip, "that _is_ the kind of guy she is attracted to. She dreams of living in a mansion with 24-hour maid and butler service."

"Really?" I was kind of surprised at the gossip they were dishing out. Not by the information, but the fact that _they_, the sweet good girls I had became friends with, were actually gossiping.

"Yep," Deena and Pate said in unison.

"She thinks she should be treated like a queen at all times by everyone in the world," Deena said rolling her eyes.

"Well , I guess it's good she has a dream," I said. "Even if it is unrealistic and less than desirable by others."

"True," Nan sighed. "And, at least she found love. Even if they have to travel to see each other."

"Do you have any dreams, Nan?" I took a sip of my coffee and waited for my neighbor's response.

"Oh, yes. Ever since I was little I dreamed of opening my own bakery and selling cakes, pies, donuts, cookies, and other pastries."

"Why haven't you?" I could just imagine it now. Nan's Baked Goods. The yummiest in on the land.

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess I just never pursued it. My cooking skills aren't that great either." The goat sighed again.

"Well, all it takes is practice and a few burnt dishes. My mom sent me a bunch of cook books the other day. You could start by using the pastry recipes from them."

"Really?"

"Sure. I will even try your cooking."

"Us too," Deena and Pate cheered. Brewster looked our way to see what all the fuss was about but then went back to polishing the cup in his hand when we got quiet.

"Thanks girls," Said Nan with teary eyes.

"What about you, Pate?" My curiosity was starting to run a little wild.

"Oh, that's easy. I have always wanted to be a fashion designer. I love clothes the Able Sisters come up with. Gracie has amazing clothing, too. I have all these ideas for styles, but I've never had the confidence to do it. Gracie told me I had no fashion sense," tears of sadness began to fill Pate's eyes.

Deena reached over to comfort Pate. "Don't list to her. She is just stuck up and has let popularity go to her head."

"Her big head," Nan giggled.

We all laughed. "I think you should go for it. Who cares what other people think. As long as your happy," I smiled.

"Okay. I'll try," Pate put on a hopeful smile.

"Your turn, Deena." I couldn't wait to hear what my energetic friend had to say.

"Well, um, I don't know," Deena squirmed in her seat.

"Think really hard. What is your passion?"

"Well, you see. When I was little my dad owned a flower arranging shop. I used to love watching him work . When I moved out I wanted to start my own flower arranging business, but when I got here things got busy and I lost sight of it," Deena looked down at her cup, "Maybe someday."

"Why not now? I mean the present is as good as ever. We should take a stand and chase our dreams." My mind was going crazy at the thought of my friends excelling at their dreams. "We could back each other up, support each other, and help when someone is having problems with their dream."

"Yeah," Nan said smiling from ear to ear. "Cheers to friends who chase their dreams."

"Cheers," we all said and downed the rest of our coffee.

"There's just one thing," Deena said folding her wings. We looked at her inquisitively. "What is your dream, Yukihana?" Everyone turned and looked at me.

"I don't have time for mine right now. Just seeing you three chase after yours is a great thing." _I've got work, fixing my house up, and breaking a curse. No time at all._

"Well, I think you can make time for it. I mean you talked all of in to doing it. You should at least try." Pate said. The other two girls nodded in agreement.

"Okay," I sighed. "I'll try." _Great, another thing to add to my list. I do need to start soon anyway._

"So, what is it?" Pate grinned with victory.

"I have two." 

"Really?" Nan was shocked.

"Yeah. To be a writer, like fiction adventure stories, and a photographer." I sighed. Oh, the ideas I have.

"You should totally go after both," Deena said excitedly. " I have an old camera that has been sitting in my attic for years. I'm sure it still works!"

"And I would love to read any stories that you write," Nan smiled.

"Me, too," Pate said.

It was set. All four of us were going to work really hard at chasing our dreams. We were going to support each other. Another hour past and we covered the topics of my house progress, how it was working for Tome Nook, and what the actives that were taking place around town in the next month.

"Does Sundrop have a library?" 

"Not an official library," Pate answered my question. " But you can borrow books from a couple places around town."

"Celeste has a bunch of books. She is quite the book worm when she isn't looking at stars. You might check out her collection. Then there is Town Hall. Pelly can show you the back room where Tortimer keeps a collection four times the size of Celeste's," Deena grinned.

"I'll have to go to Town Hall later then." I felt so positive. Things might actually be starting to head in the right direction.

"When's your next day off, Yukihana?" Deena was staring at me.

"Next Saturday. Mr. Nook said I could have weekends off as long as I start working full days. I like it a lot better than my old schedule. Plus, most afternoons he has me working in the store where there is air conditioning."

"Awesome," Deena clapped. "We should all go to the beach for the day then. We could even invite Cooro, Tank, and Jay."

"We should invite Bob, too. He seemed lonely when I delivered his package yesterday." The poor cat seemed bummed.

"Sounds good," Deena said in an overly satisfied tone. "So, do you want to go to the Able Sisters' with us?" 

"It will be really fun," Nan said.

"Not today. I need to write a letter to my mom and I would like to go check out the book collection at Town Hall."

After paying for our coffee, I told my friends good-bye and headed up the walking path to my home. Even though it was hot because of the summer heat, the tree shade was nice and cool. I picked a few cherries and pears from the lower branches for a snack later that evening. I had just passed the path to Town Hall when I heard an odd noise.

"Oooooh," something or someone moaned.

I looked around but couldn't find the source. "Umm, hello?"

"Yuuu-oooh," the moan came again. It sounded so near but I couldn't see it.

"Where are you?"

"Tre-ooooh."

"Which tree?"

"Hh—oooh." Just then I saw an arm move. Not one of the villagers' furry or feathery arms but a human arm. That's when it hit me who it was.

"Omigosh, Cooro! What happened?" I rushed over and saw the swollen eye and knew instantly... Bees! "Come on. Let's get you to my house." I wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hoisted him up. _Man, he's heavy!_ Slowly, almost snail like, we walked up the path to my house.

When we got there, I sat him down on my couch and went to get some medicine and a cold rag. I hurried and treated his eye with medicine and put the rag on it.

"Thanks," Cooro whispered and then dozed off, or so I thought.

I had left the room for about ten minutes to put away the fruit I had gathered and to get some stationary and a pen. When I returned, Cooro was sitting there with the book about curses in one hand and the rag pressed against his face in the other. The book was opened to the marked page about Animal Crossia.

"Umm... Wha-what are you doing/" I could feel panic building up in me and shock spread across my face.

"I sasw this book and thought it looked neat. So, I thought I'd take a peek. Is this why everyone is... you know?" 

"I-I guess. Promise not to tell, it will only cause problems. I-I just want to help them," I felt like I could cry. At that point in time everything depended on what kind of person Cooro was.

"I promise on one condition." A smile spread across his face.

"What's that?"

"You have to let me help."

_It would be nice to have some help._ "Okay. But you have to tell me what happened to you out there before I found you."

He laughed. "Oh, well, you see... Jay and I were competing to see who could catch a bee first but the bees outsmarted me this time."

"I'd say."

We discussed how to lift the curse and he said he would get Tank and jay to spill the beans about their most treasured secret. After Cooro started feeling better, he left to go back to Stardrop. By the time I wrote the letter to my mom and got down to Town Hall, It was dark outside.

Pelly was still working and gladly let me into the mayor's book collection. He had books about _everything_. I ended up with two books on photography and two on writing. Even though I hadn't gotten any closer to breaking the curse, today I felt like I gained a step towards a larger goal.

A/N: Okay I felt like this chapter was a bit cheesy in several places. Please let me know what you think. I am sorry for taking sooooo long to update. Let me know if you think I should continue this story or just scrap it and start over in a different on.

The fate of The Curse of Sundrop, rests at your finger tips.


	5. Chapter 5: Beating the Heat

Chapter 5: Beating the Heat with Summer Fun

The cool breeze that was coming from the ocean was exactly what I needed after a long week of work. With the temperatures on the rise and the lack of air conditioning in the houses around Sundrop, the conditions were almost unbearable. So, when my friends invited me to their beach party I jumped in with no extra thought.

Nan and I joined Deena at her house early the morning of the party. Just before the sun was peeking over the horizon, we were knocking on her door. Deena peeked out the door and ushered us in.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I saw my nervous friend pacing around.

"We still have a couple hours before the party starts, right?" Deena asked almost in tears.

"Yes. Why?" I was starting to get worried about my dear friend.

"Well, you see," Deena let out a long breath. "I told Tank and Jay on Tuesday that I would bring drinks for the party today. I was going to make them yesterday, except Celeste invited me to coffee and I couldn't decline. I would have felt bad because I told her I would take a rain check last time."

"Coffee would only take an hour or so. Didn't you have the rest of the day?"

"After coffee we felt all jazzed up because neither one of us had decaf. So, we decided to go window shopping at the Able Sister's. Then, since we were only a little ways from Nookington I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce you to Celeste since you haven't had a chance to meet yet. Only Tom Nook said you were out on your delivery route and he didn't know exactly where you were or when you would return," Deena sighed.

"What time was it?" I wasn't sure how to feel about the situation at hand.

"About two o'clock. We had spent a lot of time at the Able Sister's."

"I think I was at Peewee's house," I said remembering the extra chore I got assigned by him. "He was my second to last stop. I didn't get back to Mr. Nook's until 3:30."

"I see." Deena said. "Well, after we left Celeste remembered she has a letter to mail. So, we went to Town Hall where we spent an hour talking to Pelly about how we thought the town needed a few rainy days so we could plant flowers. After that Celeste decided to go check on Blathers and to make sure everything was running smoothly at the museum. I went home as well. By the time I got home it was 4:30 and I needed to start cooking supper. Only when I looked in the refrigerator I noticed I was out of ricotta cheese and I knew Bob would have some because he always keeps ingredients for lasagna. An hour later I was back home with a container of ricotta cheese and ready to cook. By the time I was done with it I was super tired and ready for to flop on the couch for some T.V. time. Then it hit me. I needed to get fruit for the drinks for today. So, I grabbed my basket and went out to collect fruit. I got pears, apples, peaches, oranges, cherries, and coconuts. By the time I got home again I was ready to go to bed. So, I took a nice warm bath and went to sleep. I woke up about thirty minutes ago. After I got dressed and had breakfast, it hit me I still need to make the drinks. I've searched and searched but I can't find the cookbook with the summer fruit drinks. That is the whole story until now. That is the whole reason why I am about to have a break down and why we don't have drinks for the party." Tears started flowing down Deena's cheeks. "Yukihana. Nan. I need your help."

I looked at the basket of fruit and started thinking hard. My mom used to make a variety of fruit juices every summer. Her favorite way of drinking it was through a straw from a coconut shell. Just then, the easy to do plan came to me and I knew we could finish before the party started.

"I've got it," I exclaimed. "But if we are going to make it on time you two need to do as I say.

Before we knew it Deena had juiced all of the fruits, Nan had mixed all of the drinks, and I had hollowed out and filled all the coconut shells with the fruity concoctions. Nan and Deena got the cooler ready with ice and I placed the bendy straws in each coconut cup with paper labels stating what the drink was.

When our trio arrived at the beach area west of Bob's house, only a couple others were there. Tank was wearing Hawaiian print swim shorts and an athletic shirt. It appeared as if he was trying to show off his muscles as we approached. Jay was helping pate set up an area of beach umbrellas and beach towels.

When we joined the others they were happy to see the refreshments. We still had to wait on a couple others but it already seemed quite fun. It was hard to believe it was summer time, because the breeze from the ocean gave off an almost spring feel. Not only was the breeze nice but the sound of the ocean sloshing against the sandy beach made me feel relaxed.

I had just settled down on one of the beach towels Jay laid out when I heard the noise. The noise of Cooro's shout rang through my eardrums.

_So much for my peaceful morning, _I thought. Even though Cooro was really nice and sometimes fun to be around, he could be obnoxious occasionally. Not that it was his fault or anything. He was just a high energized male.

"HEY, EVERYONE! SORRY I'M LATE! MY SISTER CHANGED THE TIME ON THE ALARM!" Cooro yelled as he ran down the beach.

"Don't worry, Cooro. You're not late. We just got here like ten minutes ago," Deena said.

"Yep," I added. "So, you don't have to shout."

"Sorry," Cooro said. "Is everyone here?"

"Bob is the only one missing that I can think of," I said looking at his door. "We can give him another ten minutes and then I'll go see if he is coming."

Luckily, not long after I said that the purple, lazy-eyed cat came sauntering down the beach with a bag full of snacks. Finally the whole gang was at the beach.

Not only was the whole gang there, so was an unexpected guest. Tortimer, the mayor of Sundrop, has arrived to check out what was going on.

"It's good to see some young folks out and about," the tortoise's voice crackled from old age. "Instead of being cooped up in you houses. What is on your agenda today?"

"Cooro, Tank, and Jay are going to have a beach triathlon in a little bit. After that we are going to have a bar-be-cue and who knows what else," Nan informed our mayor.

"Do you mind if I stay and watch?" he asked.

"Go right ahead, sir," Jay said.

"You can even announce the winner," Bob encouraged.

"Alright," said Tortimer sitting down in one of the beach chairs that Pate brought.

"Everyone sat on a beach towel as Bob got out the paper Cooro had wrote to introduce the beach triathlon. "Welcome to the first ever annual Sundrop Beach Triathlon," he read. "As you may know annual means once a year, so that means we must do it again next year. This will consist of three events. First, competitors must toss sea shells into a bug net at two different distances. After successfully making both points the competitors must crab walk from the two palm trees to the water. From the water's edge competitors must swim to the buoy and back. The first one to grab the green beach umbrella wins. The prize for today's events is a marvelous seashell medal made by Yukihana and Pate, and a collection of 200 bells." Everyone clapped. "Without further ado, let the Sundrop Beach Triathlon begin."

The boys stretched their muscles and signed the seashell that each of them were going to use. When all three boys gave the "okay" signals everyone got into place. Deena, Pate, and Nan held the bug nets about ten feet away from the line drawn where the boys stood.

"GO!" I yelled.

Cooro, Tank, and Jay held their arms back in throwing position, and then swung them forward releasing their ammo at just the right time. Jay's shell hit the rim of the bug net, and then plopped in. Jay hollered and ran to retrieve his shell. Meanwhile, Tank's and Cooro's shell went into the net with a clean shot.

The second round of tosses was at about twenty feet. This round was a little more dangerous. With the boys throwing harder, the girls were in a little more danger of getting hit.

Cooro's seashell left his hand first. It made a clank sound as it hit the metal rim and fell into the sand. Tank's shell zoomed over Pate's head and hit the palm tree. Jay smirked and threw his, which landed a foot in front of his net. The boys all made their nets on the second throw.

All of them hit the sand and crab walked to the ocean. I think all three of them had reason to go fast. The sand was starting to feel extra hot.

"Yay!"

"Go, go, go!"

"You can do it!"

Deena, Pate, and Nan were cheering the boys on, but they were shouting so loud I couldn't tell who was saying what. It was fun to see all of my friends getting so excited.

"GO FOR IT!" I yelled as loud as I could.

_Splash._ Tank jumped into the water. _Splash._ Cooro was only steps behind him. Jay still has a ways to crab walk though. However, when he hit the water he made up for the distance. It seemed as if his wings allowed him an extra boost with every paddle.

By the time all three boys were around the buoy it was a neck to neck race. Once the boys hit land I could tell that gravity was getting to all of them.

Cooro's and Jay's legs wobbled a bit. Tank had slowed to almost a crawl. In the end, Jay was victorious. Everyone cheered. Tortimer awarded him with the Bells and the seashell medal that Pate and I made.

After everyone enjoyed a refreshing fruit drink, we decided to jump in and go for a relaxing swim. The cool water soaking my body felt wonderful. I felt so lucky to be living in Sundrop. Everyone felt so warm and friendly. I let my thoughts drift as I drifted with the waves.

The rest if the afternoon was filled with collecting seashells, eating yummy grilled food, and building amazing sandcastles. Before any of us realized it the sun had gone down on the horizon and the stars were twinkling over head. Our all day party had started taking a toll on nearly everyone around. We all said our goodbyes and headed home.

Since the main path curved toward my house, Cooro decided to walk me home. Nan had made arrangements with Deena to stay the night at her house, so the long walk was made only by Cooro and me.

"So," Cooro said breaking the silence. "Have you made any progress on our goal?" He chose his words carefully in order to make sure that no one who might be passing by would understand the true meaning of the conversation.

"Not yet." I slouched a bit. I looked around the dark trees by us. "I think it is safe to talk freely. However, we can wait 'til we get to my house if you want."

"I think your house would be better."

"Alrighty." With that, neither of us said another word until we were placed on the front porch with two glasses filled with ice tea and the quiet of the night surrounding us.

"I haven't made any progress either. All Tank and Jay could think or talk about for the past couple of weeks was training for the competition today." Cooro sighed looking across the landscape that was visible from my house.

"Maybe now that it's over there will be a chance. Tell them talking about deep stuff is a way to train their mind or something. That you read where a strong mind makes a body stronger."

Cooro stared at me with eyes of disbelief. "Where'd you come up with that?"

"My mom used to help direct commercials. If you don't think it will work, you don't..." I was cut off by a burst of laughter."

"That isn't what I meant," Cooro giggled. "That just might actually work!" I couldn't help but grin. "So, what's the problem on your end?" 

"Oh, with girls it takes a little more work. I am working on building my friendship with them first. They have to trust me completely before the will let out anything." I sighed, "I do think I made some progress though. Even if it is just a little."

"Well," Cooro said looking away. "I know this may sound cheesy but I am really glad you are my friend."

My smile returned as I looked at my feet. "I'm really glad, too."

There was a long silence between the two of us. I could hear a cricket off in the distance.

"You know," Cooro said playing with the rim of his cup. "I've always wanted to move here. It's so wonderful. Most of my friends live here."

"Why haven't you then?"

"That's a long story," he replied. "You must promise to keep it between you and me. You can't tell anyone else."

"I promise," I said crossing my heart, as if I were a kid again.

"It all started about six years ago. My parents passed away in an accident. My sister and I were too young to live on our own, so we were shipped off to live with my aunt. She wasn't married and didn't have any kids of her own, so she didn't know what to do with us. So, basically her role was to be the adult we could call a legal guardian. That was fine for about a year, until my sister became sick. It started out as a cold and slowly got worse. After seeing doctor after doctor with no progress my aunt became grumpy. She told us on many occasions that this was why she didn't want kids. We were too needy. So, eventually she started ignoring us. We were nothing more than occupants of her house." I could see Cooro's hands tighten. "I took on the responsibility of taking my sister back and forth between doctors. Finally after two years we met a doctor who knew what was wrong. My sister has a type of breathing disorder that is affected by the type of air in certain places. Mainly cities. The only solution was for us to move."

"So, that is when you moved to Animal Crossia?" I could tell that he was trying really hard to suppress his sadness and anger.

"Not quite yet. We explained to my aunt that we need to do what the doctor said. She, however, had other plans. My sister was too young still to be able to live on her own and since I am younger than her it still wasn't an option. Plus, neither one of us had any money, nor a mode of transportation outside of my bike. We stayed with my aunt another half a year. Through breathing treatments my sister was able to deal with living in that city."

He took a sip of tea and leaned back closing his eyes. "At this point my aunt was still treating us as anything but her relatives. One night I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to head out to the porch to get some fresh air. I happened to over hear my aunt on the phone. She was getting all kinds of money through my parent's life insurance. The money was supposed to be for my sister and me. A large amount was going to be coming soon, since my sister was almost of age. My aunt, however, was not going to give it to her. She was going to move off and leave us. So she was tired of dealing with us. I didn't stay to hear the rest. I knew exactly what needed to be done. I snuck into my aunt's room, grabbed all the cash from wallet, and woke my sister and convinced her to go with me. We caught a transit taxi. We used half the money to make it to the boarder. At the next station we saw a sign that advertised a little house for sale in small, fresh air, rural town. Prefect for my sister! The next thing we knew, we had spent all our money and we were in the back of a cab driven by a turtle looking thing."

"Was his name Kapp'n?" I asked.

"Yep. That's the guy," Cooro said. "He was quite the interesting fellow."

"Yeah. He seems like a hopeless romance to me." I laughed.

"Really?" Cooro snickered. "Well anyway, we ended up in Stardrop. The shop keeper, who is also the real-estate person, gave us a break and let us move into a house and pay off our debt by working for him. Everything was great. Until a year and a half ago at least. My sister had another round of that breathing thing after we went on vacation to a place across the border. This time after she recovered from the main attack the doctor we see now told us her lungs were weakened and she is now prone to sickness more. Whenever, she catches the slightest cold now we have to be careful. So, right now I can't leave that town. If I leave her alone things could get really bad for her. Even though I do spend a lot of time over here it is only because she is out at her friends' house. So, if you don't see me here sometimes it is because she is either sick or we are at the doctor."

I couldn't help but just sit there and stare at him a while. My mind felt numb from all that he told me. You would never know by just looking at him. He was usually cheerful and didn't seem to have a care in the world. "Wow," was all I could say at first. "So, that explains it all."

"Yep," he replied. "The whole reason I can't move here right now."

"Well, if you need any help taking care of you sister you can ask me. I have a cousin who was born with a weak immune system, so he was sick quite often when we were kids. I would help take care of him a lot."

Cooro smiled. "Thank you." He slowly got out of his chair and stretched. "Well, it is getting late and sis is probably wondering where I am. I guess I better go."

"Alright," I said. "Thanks for sharing with me. Maybe sometime I can my secret with you." I looked down at my shoes, waiting to hear his reply.

"I'd like that," his soft, gentle voice floated through the right air. "Just don't over push yourself."

When I looked up to tell him good-bye, he was gone.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I had major writer's block for a while. This was a long chapter as well. It still didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to. Oh, well... Stay tune for the next chapter. Also, please review. It will help me know how I am doing. Thanks a bunch.

~Snowflower90


	6. Chapter 6: When it Rains, it Pours

Chapter 6: When it Rains, it Pours

_Thud. Clank. Thud._

The shovel hit the floor. My hands were shaking. A wave of chills ran through my body.

"Yukihana," Tom nook said as he rounded the corner. "Do be more careful with the merchandise."

All I could do was nod. Everything was starting to feel odd. Nothing felt like it was supposed to. I should have known when I woke up with the headache that felt as if two boulders were crushing my head. I should have known to call in sick today. Mr. Nook was counting on me though. We had just received a large shipment and it needed to be placed on the shelves.

"Yukihana," Mr. Nook said, now standing in front of me. "You do look so well. I think you should take the rest of the day off. You really shouldn't push yourself so hard."

"B-but," I winced at the pain developing in my throat, "I need t-to help w-with the shop."

"You can help when you get to feeling better. Now go home and rest."

I was nearly to the bridge when the rain started dripping. Even though it was the middle of summer, the rain felt ice cold. By the time I was across the bridge it was pouring. My legs were very wobbly and I was becoming very tired.

My foot must have hooked on a rock or something. The next thing I knew I was flat on the ground and everything was blurry. Then my world was enveloped in black.

When I became aware of my surroundings again, I could feel something soft underneath my body. It obviously wasn't the hard dirt path beneath me. Through the chills of my body, I felt something warm laying over me. I cracked my eyelids a tiny bit. The room was dark. Only every so often would it light up for a second. Then a rumble in the distance would break free from the sky.

I flinched at the sound. Slowly I tried to sit up. The room started spinning on its own accord, so I squeezed my eyes shut. When the wobbly feeling subsided I carefully opened them again. The shadowy figures that sat around the room looked very familiar. Then it hit me. Somehow, I was back in my room. I had no clue how I got there. My head was starting to spin again.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the door and a small familiar voice whisper. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, I am." I replied in a small scratchy sounding voice. "Come on in, Nan."

My grey goat friend stepped in with two others right behind her. Pate and Deena were right one her heels. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good," I replied. I had decided that trying to put up a front would not work with them. "My throat and head really hurt. Also, I'm cold and dizzy feeling."

"Well the last time we check you were running a rather high fever," Pate said looking extremely worried. "We found you near the bridge passed out." 

"Luckily, Tank was with us and carried you here. We dried you off the best we could. Nan ran to the store and bought you some medicine," Deena said fidgeting with her shirt. "You should change into something drier though. Just so you don't get worse."

"Do you think you could eat some soup?" Nan asked. "You will need to eat with the medicine I got you." I nodded. "Alright. Deena and I will go fix it. Pate, would you mind staying with Yukihana, to make sure she doesn't fall or anything?"

"Not at all. I can even get her clothes out so she doesn't have to travel across the room."

Before I knew it, Deena and Nan were out of the room and Pate was in my closet getting me some clothes. That's when it happened. A large clap of thunder rattled my room and Pate nearly jump 4 feet of the ground. By the time she hit the floor again she was huddled in a tight ball.

"Pate," I said. "Are you okay?" I hurried out of bed, just to send the whole room spinning again. When I finally reached her another loud clap shook the house. I could tell just by looking at her that she was shaking all over. I pulled an extra blanket from my closet and covered her with it. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes. I smiled back at her pulling my own blanket off the bed and wrapped up next to her. "I have a cousin," I told her through my scratchy, sore throat voice. "He was afraid of thunder, too. Whenever it would get too bad my aunt would wrap him up in a blanket and sit with him until it was over. Eventually, he overcame his fear. Now he actually goes outside and watches the lightning and all."

Pate looked at me with wide eyes. "W-when I was little," she began. "My parents worked a lot. I would have this babysitter who wanted to have an easy job. So, the only thing she would just make my dinner and send me to my room so I would entertain myself. One night, it was storming really badly and the lights went out and everything. I ran to find her for safety but I couldn't find her. Turns out after sending me to my room her friend came over and they had gone out. She was planning to return right before my parents got home. However, the storm prevented her from doing that."

"So, the whole time you were..." I could finish the sentence. I was dumbstruck by the idea of leaving any young child alone.

"Yes," Pate said. "I was all alone for about three hours in a storm that shook the house." As if the storm outside heard her, the thunder boomed and rattled my walls. Pate let out a small screech. Then she continued in a shaky voice. "My parents were furious when they found me home by myself, hiding in a closet. Needless to say, they fired that girl. I was sent to my aunt's house if they had to work late. Ever since then, however, I feel overwhelmed by thunder and I freak out."

"I can see why," I said.

"Please don't tell anyone though. I don't want to worry anyone about it. Plus, I think this might help some. I can see why your cousin felt so calm." The blue duck finally let out a sigh of relief as we heard the next rumble of thunder come from the distance.

After the storms had died down to just the pitter-patter of soft rain, Pate regained her composure and helped me wobble back to my bed where I changed into my pajamas and laid back down. A short time later, Deena and Nan brought up some tomato soup and the medicine.

My friends took care of me the rest of the afternoon, and then decided to let me rest. Nan said she would come back later to check on me.

I was just about to doze off when the ringing of a telephone startled me. I carefully wobbled over to it. Even though the medicine had brought my fever down, I was still feeling weak. I couldn't think of who would be calling me. Tom Nook was the only one in town who had a telephone that I could think of but the shop was still open. I wasn't sure if Town Hall had a telephone or not. Even if they did I could think of any reason they would be calling me.

After about the fifth ring I finally picked it up. "Hello?" My voice crackled.

"Yukihana," the voice said. "It's me, Cooro."

"Oh, hi." I said. "How did you get my number? How are you even calling me?"

"We have a phone at our house and I got your number from Nook after I heard you were sick. I told you not to push yourself." He went on for a few minutes scolding me about how I needed to take care of myself.

"How did you know I was sick?"

"I went to your job to let you know that you won't see me the next couple days because sis has an appointment across the border. Nook told me you went home sick. I would have stopped by but I was already running late, so I asked if I could have your phone number. How are you feeling?"

"Kind of tired. Pate, Deena, and Nan came over a took care of me today. Speaking of which, I am a step closure to breaking the curse."

"Who's secret?" He sound astonished.

"Pate's. I can't tell though. I promised. Just like with you." I heard him chuckle. "But I think as long as we collected them we don't have to break promises by sharing them. Just need to write them down and hide them until the right time." 

"Sounds good to me. Just find a good hiding place so our friends don't find them. We don't want them to become suspicious. By the way, have you found out anymore for Leea's diary?"

"Not yet. I've been really busy." I sighed.

"Well, I should let you rest. You need to get better." I could hear the worry in his voice. "Take care. See you in a couple days."

"Good-bye." I replied. Then hung up the phone and went back to bed.

A/N: Well, here is another chapter. Let me know what you think. A big shout out to Cake of Legend and Princess Hephzi for their reviews. I really appreciate them. The next chapter is going to be a fun one. Thanks you for all your support.

~Snowflower90


End file.
